Former British 125GP champ Kyle Ryde switches to CEV series with UK’s KRP team

Kyle Ryde, the 15 years-old former British 125GP Champion, has won backing from the Racing Steps Foundation for a season-long campaign in Spain’s Dorna-run CEV Moto3 Championship this year.

The private, not-for-profit fund – which supports promising young Brits in top level single-seater, kart and motorcycle racing – has handed Ryde (from Jacksdale, Nottinghamshire) a fully-funded ride with the British KRP squad.

Ryde – who claimed the British 125GP title at the age of 14 to enter the record books as the championship’s youngest ever winner – will compete on KRP’s 250cc Honda-powered Moto3 bike.
The East Midlands teenager rode the prototype for the first time at the final round of the 2012 CEV Moto3 Championship at Valencia in November where he finished ninth.
The one-off ride was part of the RSF’s rigorous rider assessment process which takes into account fitness, communication and technical feedback skills, personality, mindset and racecraft.
He replaces 2012 CEV Moto3 front-runner John McPhee who steps up to the Moto3 World Championship this year with continued funding from the RSF

Last season Ryde competed on a Metmachex Honda Moto3 machine in eight out of the 12 British Motostar Championship rounds in parallel with a 15-race international 125GP campaign in the MotoGP-supporting Red Bull Rookies Cup.
He finished sixth overall in the British Superbikes support series – claiming wins at Snetterton, Knockhill and Assen – and 15th in the Red Bull 125GP series, with a season-best podium finish at the British round at Silverstone.

“I’m really grateful to have been handed this opportunity by the RSF,” said Ryde. “It’s not easy for British riders to find the backing to make their way up the ladder in this sport. So to get this level of support is incredible.
“My mum and dad have had to work so hard to raise the money needed for me to go racing each season, so this means all their efforts – and the fantastic support we’ve had from some really loyal sponsors in the past – hasn’t been wasted.
“Racing in Spain against some of the best riders in the world at this level, with a top team like KRP, on a really competitive bike is a dream come true,” he added. “It takes me to the doorstep of a world championship ride.
“So now it’s down to me to show everyone that their faith in me is fully justified. I’ve got a lot to learn, including getting a better understanding of the KRP bike and the new circuits I’ll be racing on – so the sooner I can get started, the better.”

RSF founder Graham Sharp said the Foundation had been keeping a close eye on Ryde since it widened its remit to include motorcycle racing in 2009/10.
“Kyle has a lot of talent and we’ve all been impressed with the way he’s handled himself over the last couple of years.
“To win the British 125GP Championship in 2012 at such a young age while competing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup at the same time was an outstanding achievement.
“The aim now is to give him the chance and all the support he needs to showcase that ability to the full at the next level. If he does that, there’s every chance he’ll be able to step up to MotoGP in the same way that John McPhee has.”

Ryde – who first competed in Spain in the 2009 CEV 80cc Championships – will prepare for the start of the Spanish series with a one-off ride in the season-opening Italian CIV Championship double-header at Mugello over the weekend of April 12-14. The CEV’s first two rounds take place at Catalunya a fortnight later.